Jennifer Vanderlaan is a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) who specializes in studying how health systems and workforce policy shape maternal health outcomes in the United States. Her research on state midwifery regulation has produced multiple top-cited contributions to the field and has directly informed both state and national policy advocacy for expanding midwifery scope of practice. She currently serves as principal investigator on a National Council of State Boards of Nursing-funded evaluation of pathways to independent practice regulation. This year, Vanderlaan is leading Nevada Nurse Education Innovations, a $2.3 million project funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) via congressionally directed funding. The project brings together nursing and computer science to develop and implement virtual reality simulation for nursing education. As part of this work, Vanderlaan is collaborating with University Medical Center to develop a nurse-led AI-assisted analysis process to support hospital quality improvement initiatives.

Vanderlaan is a widely cited researcher in maternal health and workforce policy, recognized nationally as a leading voice in midwifery workforce research. Her scholarship has been honored with the Burkhardt Murphy Public Health Midwifery Award and the Nursing for Women's Health Excellence in Writing Award, and she was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives in 2023.

State and national policy bodies rely on Vanderlaan’s research. She has been a member of the Nevada Maternal Mortality Review Committee since its formation in 2020. She participated in the Health Resources and Services Administration's Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality (ACIMM) Rural Health Workgroup, where her research on maternal health outcomes and midwifery workforce policy informed decision-making.

Several of Vanderlaan's doctoral mentees have received Outstanding Student Awards, and her undergraduate research mentees have won national and university student research awards. She chairs doctoral dissertations and DNP projects within the School of Nursing and serves on dissertation committees in other disciplines, including public health and computer science. This mentorship reflects her commitment to developing the next generation of nurse scientists and interdisciplinary health researchers.